Certified copy Resolution 2010-27379RESOLUTION NO. 2014-27379
A RESOLUTION OF THE MAYOR AND CITY COMMISSION OF THE
CITY OF MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA, URGING PRESIDENT BARACK
OBAMA AND THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS TO ADOPT THE
MILITARY READINESS ENHANCEMENT ACT OF 2009 (H.R. 1283),
WHICH ELIMINATES THE "DON'T ASK, DON'T TELL" POLICY AND,
AMONG OTHER THINGS, ADOPTS A POLICY OF NON-
DISCRIMINATtON ON THE BASIS OF SEXUAL ORIENTATION WITHIN
THE UNITED STATES ARMED FORGES; DIRECTING THE CITY
CLERK TO TRANSMIT A CERTIFIED COPY OF THIS RESOLUTION
TO PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA, SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE
NANCY PELOSI, SENATE MAJORITY LEADER HARRY REID,
SENATORS BILL NELSON AND GEORGE LEMIEUX, AND THE
MIAMI-DADS COUNTY UNITED STATES CONGRESSIONAL
LEGISLATIVE DELEGATION.
WHEREAS, service in the United States Armed Forces by lesbian, gay, and bisexual
Americans has been at question for many years, leading to the creation of the National Defense
Authorization Act of 1994 {Public Law 103-160), more commonly known as the "Don't Ask, .Don't
Tell,. Don't Pursue, Don't Harass" or simply the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy; and
WHEREAS, the Servicemernbers Legal Defense Network has found that,
notwithstanding apolicy of "Don't Ask, Don't Te11," nearly 10,000 servicemembers were
discharged in its first ten years, including same 800 with "critical skills," of wham, 322 were
linguists; and
WHEREAS, the United States Armed Forces is currently unable to meet its recruiting
goals, thus forcing National Guard and Reserve members to serve extended tours of duty, while
at the same time highly qualified and patriotic gay, lesbian, and bisexual Americans are
prevented from serving solely because of their sexual orientation; and
WHEREAS, troop levels put national security at risk through lack of personnel,
inadequate training, increased troop fatigue and stress, and decreased morale; and
WHEREAS, the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy also affects national security and military
readiness in more insidious ways, including harassment, violence, secrecy, and lack of
confidentiality in medical care, all of which undermine unit cohesion; and
WHEREAS, the .Department of Defense has issued four reports since 1957 examining
the presence of lesbian, gay, and bisexual servicemembers in the Armed Forces, with findings
indicating that these servicemembers do not ease security risks or impair military readiness, but
rather perform their duties as well as heterosexual servicemembers; and
WHEREAS, lesbian., gay, and bisexual servicemembers have served, and are serving,
bravely and honorably in all branches of the United States Armed Forces and in all locations,
national and international, numbering one million veterans and 65,000 active duty personnel,
according to the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network; and
WHEREAS, top United States national security .agencies do not discriminate against
their personnel based on sexual orientation, rather, the Department of Homeland Security, the
Central Intelligence Agency, the Defense Intelligence Agency, the Federal Bureau of
Investigation, and the National Security Agency all allow personnel to serve openly, leaving the
Armed Forces as the only agency in the federal government that continues to use sexual
orientation to discriminate in employment decisions; and
WHEREAS, many of America's allies, including Israel, Australia, Canada, and the United
Kingdom, allow lesbian, gay, and bisexual servicemembers to serve openly in their militaries,
and the United Kingdom now actively recruits these servicemembers; and
WHEREAS, the 5ervicemembers Legal Defense Network finds that American taxpayers
spend nearly $26 million a year training replacements far servicemembers discharged under the
"Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, with unknown costs associated with the actual discharge of these
servicemembers and non-monetary costs related to troop cohesion and low morale associated
with the loss of unit members; and
WHEREAS, national security and military readiness will be best served by allowing
every wiNing and able American to serve in the United States Armed Forces, without regard to
sexual orienta#ion; and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT DULY RESOLVED BY THE MAYOR AND CITY
GOMMISSION OF THE GITY OF .MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. The recitals and findings contained in the Preamble to this Resolution are
adopted by reference and incorporated as if fully set faith in this Section; and
Section 2. The City Commission of the City of Miami Beach urges President Barack
Obama and the United States Congress to adopt the Military Readiness Act of 2009 (H.R.
1283}, which replaces the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy and, among other things, adapts a policy
of non-discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation within the United States Armed Forces;
and
Section 3. The City Clerk is directed to transmit a certified copy of this Resolution to
President Barack Obama, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Harry
Reid, Senators Bill Nelson and George LeMieux, and the Miami-Dade County United States
Congressional Legislative Delegation.
PASSED and ADOPTED this << day of April, 2010.
ATTEST: S1A.~.E f~F Ft.?I:if''
C(~t1NTY C5F h~ii,~FvtF-D `"
HERR RA OWER
~~ I, BERT PARCHER, Q~il1Yt3R-,~ of ('yh, of ~,~~~, ~~ ~r,~
~ ~ ~ C Flor,,da, fl~ ~ ~:c'N ~z.-`f .t~ >~~'~~ ~c ~.K~~.<~.~9'~
th _ c~ e r far~goin~, ~- ~nrE e,T+. ~ ~ ~ ~'`.~'~t3't ~~r~
ROBERT PARCht6~3y c~~ tl~e ~~rginal ther"ers~~ o:~'f~.~ s tl-,,,
CITY CLERK of~ice. _ "" ~~
F_lattolTlJRN1RES05 "t TeA alicy - H.R. I283.dcrcx ~ ~~~ ~ ~ ; ~,~%~ ° ~~ ~, ~~t
~EA~'S~ my and an7d th~ese~l ui sairi ~:ety
this-~.~_day of 1~'.~.SGL ~' ~~
ROBERT PARCHER
c-:+„ rlPr~f „#'th~ City of N~Eiami Beach, Florida